Cellular Basics

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

What are the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?

In 1937, the French marine biologist Edouard Chatton (1883–1947) first proposed the terms procariotique and eucariotique (French for prokaryotic and eukaryotic, respectively). Prokaryotic, meaning “before nucleus,” was used to describe bacteria, while eukaryotic, meaning “true nucleus,” was used to describe all other cells. Today, the terms are more well defined: eukaryotic cells are much more complex than prokaryotic cells, having compartmentalized interiors and membrane-contained organelles (small structures within cells that perform dedicated functions; for more about organelles, see this chapter) within their cytoplasm. The major feature of a eukaryotic cell is its membrane-bound nucleus—the active part of the cell that contains genetic information; prokaryotic cells do not have a nuclear membrane (the membrane that surrounds the nucleus of the cell).

Characteristic

Prokaryotic Cells

Eukaryotic Cells

Organisms

Eubacteria and Archaebacteria

Protista, Fungi, Plantae, Animalia

Cell size

Usually 1–10 MGRm across

Usually 10–100 MGRm across

Membrane-bound organelles

No

Yes

Ribosomes

Yes, very small

Yes, larger

Type of cell division

Cell fission

Mitosis and meiosis

DNA location

Nucleoid

Nucleus

Membranes

No internal

Many

Cytoskeleton

No

Yes

Metabolism

Anaerobic or aerobic

Aerobic

Plant and animal cells share some attribues, such as cell walls, nuclei, and mitochondria, but they also have differences, such as the chloroplasts that only exist in plant cells.